


just fine

by MyGirlfriendsAttic



Category: SKAM (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Bisexuality, F/F, Falling In Love, Fluff, Gen, M/M, The Bakkoush Family, The girl squad, biology buddies, just so much fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-03
Updated: 2017-06-01
Packaged: 2018-11-07 13:19:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11059806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyGirlfriendsAttic/pseuds/MyGirlfriendsAttic
Summary: Sana never transferred to Nissen. Instead, she toughed out the rest of her high school life in a school in which she was miserable, harassed for her religion, and relying on her only friend Jamilla to get her through. Her fall-out with Jamilla never happened, and now, going into her first year at the University of Oslo, Jamilla is still her only friend. Well, that and her mom, and - if pressed - her brother, Elias.Eva, on the other hand, should have it all - sure, she broke up with her boyfriend, Jonas, back in her first year at Nissen and has only had a series of meaningless, sweaty trysts since, but it’s not like she’s lacking company. She has her girls, Noora, Chris, and Vilde, and she’s learning to accept herself. She’s even doing a decent job of it - that is, until Sana shows up, and the idea of a relationship that’s not only meaningful but also with a girl hits her hard, blowing her life to bits once again.





	just fine

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be my first multi-chapter fic ever, so hopefully it's not a crushing disappointment to all of us. Note: I am (unfortunately) not very educated about Islam or the Arabic language. I'll do my absolute best to depict Islam in a respectful and accurate manner (the way it deserves) in this fic, but please, if I ever make a mistake or leave a crucial detail out, do not hesitate to notify me! I welcome any comments you have. I also welcome any constructive criticism, as long as it doesn't completely crush my already fragile soul.
> 
> Also, the title is inspired by the song Just Fine by Mary J Blige, in case any of you cool cats want to check it out. It's a jam.

LØRDAG 14:00

 

Jamilla  
14:01  
What’s up, college girl?

Sana  
14:02  
Not there quite yet…

Jamilla  
14:02  
But soon! University of Oslo. can’t believe you’re a U of O girl

Sana  
14:02  
Jealous? ; )

Jamilla  
14:03  
Never. Bergen is where it’s at. But it’s your big day. Excited?

Sana  
14:07  
You could say that

Jamilla  
14:07  
Don’t worry. You’ll love it. University can be scary at first, but you’ll  
fit right in. I promise

Sana  
14:12  
<3  
We’ll see

 

\---

 

The University of Oslo was imposing. The campus was gigantic, the roads and the sidewalks were crowded with students hustling to move into their dorms, and the buildings seemed to loom menacingly over Sana, watching her dispassionately.  
“It’s very nice,” her father said.

  
Sana raised her eyebrows, wondering what part of formidable buildings and mass pandemonium spelled nice. “I guess,” she settled. She squinted up through the August sun at the dorms in front of her, trying to picture what the rooms inside would look like. They were probably occupied by narrow, uncomfortable bedding, thin walls (the better to hear sex between strangers through), and impossibly cramped spaces. Sana tried to picture herself draped across a bed while studying Biology, or laughing with her roommate over the drunk kid two rooms over, but found that her brain short circuited just thinking about it.

  
“Well,” her mother smiled. “Shall we?”

 

 

\---

 

The room was almost exactly as she had pictured it - except, she hadn’t exactly imagined it with piles and piles of someone else’s stuff covering every surface of one half of the room and spilling over onto the other. Sana took in the sloppy boxes and the sneakers that had snuck their way into the middle of the room, staring mockingly up at Sana and her family.

  
Elias came jogging up behind her, carrying a box lovingly labeled _Bed Linens_ in their mother’s handwriting. “Is there a roommate anywhere under that?” he asked, nodding towards the monstrous pile of clothing, books, and boxes eating away at the room.  
Sana sighed. “Haha.” She walked to the closet, mercilessly kicking the sneaker’s out of her way.

  
She pulled out her phone, pulling up her and Jamilla’s most recent conversation.

 

\---

 

Sana  
15:01  
How do you deal with shitty roommates…?

Jamilla  
15:03  
Uh oh. That bad already?

Sana  
15:03  
Not really, but…  
I could do without the mess. It’s like  
an avalanche in here. And the culprit  
is currently MIA

 

Jamilla  
15:05  
: ( 

No worries. She’ll show up soon  
and clean up her shit. It’s a stressful day  
for everyone.

 

Sana  
15:05  
You could say that again…

 

\---

 

“You know that no matter what we’re only one call away,” her mother said, gently shaking Sana’s shoulders. Her eyes looked damp and her hands smelled of cinnamon. Sana breathed deep and mustered a smile.

  
“I know, mama. I’ll call,” she said, pulling her mother in for a hug.

  
Her mother’s arms tightened around her. “You call whenever you want, _habibi_. Have fun, my college girl. Stay safe - I trust you.” She kissed the side of Sana’s head before pulling away, smiling.

  
“Ah, ah, time to let the old man butt in,” Sana’s father chuckled, sidling up to her and playfully worming his way between her and her mother. He pulled Sana into his arms, rocking her back and forth until she laughed.

  
“I knew it, I knew it,” he said. “I knew you’d be a surgeon. And here you are, on your way to proving your old man right...as always.”

  
She shoved him away, smiling though it hurt. “As always,” she rolled her eyes, turning to Elias.

  
“Well, where’s my goodbye?” he asked, raising his eyebrows, causing her to roll her eyes again.

  
“You go to this University, idiot. You live nearby. You don’t get a goodbye.”

  
“Oh, I see how it is!” He crowed. “I help you carry up all of your crap for hours, and this is the treatment I get? Typical.”

  
“Fine. Goodbye, Elias.” She drew out the goodbye in the sing-song voice that always caused his face to scrunch up in a way that was just so _satisfying_.

  
Her parents hugged her one more time, and then they were gone, leaving the warm imprints of their arms and the scent of cinnamon in their wake. Elias lingered, a watchful expression on his face.

  
“Like you said … I’m just across town. If you need a place to crash to get away from Miss Neat Freak, I’m all yours. And if you ever want to lower yourself and hang out with a lowly business major …” Elias trailed off when Sana chuckled.

  
“I’m fine, I promise.”

  
He held his hands up. “Okay, okay, I’m out of your hair. See you.”

  
“See you. And Elias?”

  
“Yeah?”

  
“Thanks - for everything.” He nodded in acknowledgment, and then he was gone too, and Sana was alone.

 

\---

 

“No, no, I think that Comp class is in the other hall…”

  
“The one that started with...a _p_? I don’t think so. I think it’s the one that Vilde mentioned…”

  
“Noora, trust me, that’s not the one. It’s P- … P- … okay, so I can’t think of the name, but I heard some kids say the class was in that building. For sure…”

  
The sound of feminine voices and footsteps, and the noise of the door opening and closing, drifted to Sana from where she stood in the bathroom. She paused in front of the mirror, holding still so that she could hear better.

  
“So I’m supposed to just take the word of ‘some kid?’” one girl scoffed. Sana placed her voice as the one belonging to Noora.

  
“Whatever, whatever. Show up to the wrong class on Monday, see if I feel bad for you.” The voices dissolved into laughter, and that’s when Sana realized that there were more than two people. Opening the bathroom door a crack, she tried to catch a glimpse of the group.

  
There were four of them, from what the bathroom door allowed her to see. Two of them were blondes, one with long hair and the other with crimson lipstick; the brunette was still laughing, and the other girl….  
Her shoulder length auburn hair framed a delicate face and blue eyes. She looked warm, wrapped in a clinging sweater, smiling prettily out at her friends. Her face and skin looked impossibly soft, and Sana was struck by the sudden to desire to be close to her, feel the warmth radiating off of her and smell her shampoo. All of a sudden, the girl in question shifted, turning her face towards the bathroom door.

  
Sana retreated quickly around the edge of the door, shaking herself. What was that? She had no idea who that girl was; she could be a mean, awful person who wanted nothing to do with Sana. Or she could be a … kind, gentle person, who also wanted nothing to do with Sana. The thought made her wince. Either way, harboring a crush on her was unrealistic, for several different reasons that Sana didn’t want to consider; she refused to go down that path.

  
In her haste to get out of the girl’s line of vision, Sana’s foot kicked back and knocked over a stray bottle of shampoo, and she swore silently. Given that it was not hers, she assumed it was yet another one of her roommate's items. And, oh, that’s right - her roommate was one of the girls out there. _Please don’t be the pretty one, please don’t be the pretty one_ , Sana prayed quickly, but then squashed that thought just as quick.

  
“Did you hear that?” came one of the voices. Not Noora, but beyond that, Sana was clueless as to who.

  
“Hear what?”

  
“I heard it! It was like...a bang, right?” a voice that was slightly higher than the others said.

  
“Yes, yes, exactly! Maybe, like a squirrel? Is there a squirrel in my dorm already?” And oh, there was the roommate. Too bad she couldn’t see which one it was. _Please don’t be the pretty one, please don’t be the pretty one_.

  
“‘Already?’ What world do you live in where it’s inevitable that a squirrel will get into your dorm? Like...that’s just an inescapable eventuality?” Noora laughed.

  
“No, not a squirrel. I think it was a ghost,” the higher voice decided. “But what do we do? I saw an episode of Ghost Hunters kind of like this once. They did an exorcism, right in the dorms, but what are we supposed to do? I knew there was something off about here the second we walked in.” Her voice was climbing higher and higher as she spoke, and that’s when Sana decided to put an end to this before it spiraled further into madness.

  
She stepped out of the bathroom, pasting a look of polite but guarded surprise on her face. “Uh...hello?” she said, trying to raise her eyebrows in a way that said _I was not, in fact, eavesdropping on you from behind the bathroom door_.

  
The girl with the longer blonde hair paled considerably, which was shocking, given that Sana wouldn’t have guessed that someone of her complexion could get any paler. “I didn’t know ghosts could wear hijabs,” the girl whispered, petrified.

  
“Vilde, that’s not...that’s not a ghost!” spluttered Noora, who Sana could now place as the blonde with the crimson lipstick. She shot an apologetic smile at Sana. “Nice to meet you, I’m Noora. I’m guessing that you’re the roommate.”

  
“Uh, yeah. Sana. Nice to meet you,” she responded, still recovering from Vilde’s comment. Vilde had turned a light pink, which was reassuring, since Sana had been beginning to fear for her circulation.

  
Noora gestured to the cheery brunette beside her. “This is Chris… and this is Eva.” The girl with the auburn hair - Eva - turned to face Sana, sending her a warm smile, revealing sparkling white teeth and endearing crinkles around her eyes. Their eyes connected for one brief, slow moment, before Sana’s line of vision was suddenly obstructed.

  
“Hello! Great to meet you, yeah?” Chris said, grabbing Sana for a hug, knocking the breath out of her.

  
Sana patted her awkwardly on the back. “Yes, yes, nice to meet you, too.”

  
Chris retreated and the group found themselves in brief silence, staring at each other. Sana’s eyes strayed back to Eva several times, only to find Eva’s clear gaze consistently focused on her. The room felt warmer.

  
“So...which one of you is my roommate?” Sana finally asked, trying to keep the impetuous look on her face despite the warmth that had taken over her.

  
_Please don’t be the pretty one._

  
_Please don’t be the pretty one._

  
_Please don’t be the pretty one._

  
_Please be the pretty one._

  
“That’d be me!” Chris grinned, her smile so huge that Sana found herself returning it, despite the crushing disappointment rising in her throat. _No, not disappointment,_ she reminded herself. _Not disappointment._

  
“At least you packed light,” Sana managed to say, trying to maintain her smile for Chris. Chris cackled appreciatively, clapping loudly.

  
“Oh my God, right?!” She laughed raucously, until Sana couldn’t resist joining in. Chris swooped in for another hug, while Noora and Vilde raised their eyebrows in amusement in the background. Sana met Eva’s eyes over Chris’ shoulders, and felt another peculiar wave of disappointment flood through her at the sight of her wide grin.

  
_Not disappointment_ , she thought, not _disappointment._ There was nothing to be disappointed about, because there was nothing between her and Eva, and there never would be. The quicker she got that concept through her head, the smoother everything would go - for all of them.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!! I'm not sure when exactly this story will update, but hopefully I can update it regularly. <3


End file.
